Changing Gears as the Game Changes

by Ray ZeeTwo
Plus Two Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 1

I find that in most poker games the vast majority of players play a certain style of poker and they play that style all the time. Some change up when ahead or stuck in the game. Others will change the way they play because of personal reasons in their life. That is to be expected, and you can adjust to it if you are able to spot what is going on with that person. If you cannot get a true line on his mind that day, you can only adjust your play with him the best you can. In poker you use limited information to help make decisions easier and more exploitive. So the basis of playing efficiently against a player is to know, with as much certainty as you can, how he will react to the different plays during the game.

There are those that play a tight-passive or even aggressive style all the time. Even when the game gets short-handed, those players will not change much, or at all, their starting hands or frequency of bluffs, bets for value, etc. They will tend to start their losing streaks in the shorter fields and perhaps be winners or survivors in full games. You, as a winning player, will adjust your game every time a single person leaves your full table, or what your table started with in numbers of persons. As the field shortens, your adjustments get larger and larger till it becomes heads-up and you play almost every hand. This is what a good winning player does automatically.

Loose-passive and loose-aggressive players will do the same. The loose-passive players will get eaten alive at all numbers of opponents. The loose-aggressive players may even start winning as the fields get smaller since their style now becomes a winning one especially if some at the table do not adjust to the conditions.

The best winning players seem to fall in between tight-aggressive and loose-aggressive play. The very best will be constantly adjusting to how each player is playing at that point in time in the game.

Another big change time in your game is when position changes. Many of the tight and overly loose players do not adjust according to position and if you as a player do not realize it, you will make bad plays giving them credit for hands that they cannot have. So while you change your opening hands according to your position, those that don’t can have a devastating result on your winnings when you give them more credit for ability than they deserve.

Adjusting to loose and tight games is important. In tighter games, you will bluff more. Some players, even winners at small stakes, win without having to bluff much, but as the game tightens up you can increase your earnings by picking good bluffing spots that others will not see. In loose games, your normal bluffing routine should become less as getting called with weak hands is common. Changing gears to conditions nets you money in the games basically from others neglecting to deviate from what is most comfortable to them.

Stack sizes is where opposite reactions occur. Some loose players when they get ahead tighten way up trying to lock in a win. Beware of them as you will be seeing much better hands than ten minutes previously. Knowing your player is the key here. A few good players or tight players sometimes will loosen up when ahead as they falsely believe in the old axiom that they are now playing on someone else’s money and can take more risks. Watch for a few more bluffs or squeeze plays and semi-bluffs. With a short stack, a few will just try to get it in so they can go home. They are easy to play against; just call them with a better than average good hand and race.

Others when down to a short stack do not want to go home and will nurse it until the blinds are about to break them and then make a desperate move in. That is another easy person to call and bust. Know your opponents tendencies.

You will also make big changes to how you play hands accordingly to your own stack size. Many times you will be betting a hand with a short stack that you may not with a larger one, as you may not have to get run off by a large raise as you can go all-in. A short stack gives you a lot of leverage in pots as long as it is big enough to put some pressure on. Having a large stack against an opponents large stack gives you chances to raise him knowing that he cannot call as he would be facing a much larger bet on the next street. In essence, your bluffs become stronger so use them.

How you are doing in the game will change how you play. That may not seem logical but it is true. When ahead, people seem to fear you more so your pressure plays have more strength. When losing, you tend to get called more. Everyone wants to play pots with the loser. So, expect more action and change your play to properly fit that. Never fall into the trap that you are trying to exploit. Whether winning or losing, make the best plays for your situation. Never make a play solely on your being ahead or behind unless it has merit to the situation.

How the table perceives you at the moment keeps you changing gears. If you just got called bluffing, it is more likely your next bluff will get called as it is fresh in their minds and justifies the bad calls many players like to make. That is a good time to show them winning hands, and affords in some spots to bet more marginal ones as well. If you have won a few in a row, beware as some players tighten up against you thinking you are on a rush. You don’t believe in rushes do you? Others may call more as they think you are being loose for some reason. Trying to figure out what your opponent perceives you to be at the moment is key to getting the great result.

We all get on a bad run looking back at times. That is part of the game. For some, it continues on and that is their fault. What happens is that when you are losing badly, players take shots at you and use your misfortune to put pressure on you. That pressure when losing can easily make your game go bad. For many, they play tighter and give up hands too easily, hence they are getting bluffed more and getting bluffed out is a disaster in a hand. Also, many that do not raise often enough, use that you’re down to raise you more, and if you don’t respond, you get run over in the game. Those are some of the things that happen to people that are always telling how they run bad. What happened was a short bad streak was turned into a long losing one by bad play. They simply didn’t change gears and adjust to the new situation.

Many of the things here you know but may not think about often enough. Incorporating them into your game every single day pays off. Getting a little complacent and just playing like a robot the same way all the time is a sure way to be a losing player at poker. A game of switching off and on how you play each person and forcing them to make bad decisions helps your bankroll immensely. Pay attention to your opponents, understand what they are thinking, and play to wipe them out.